Secretary of Defense James Mattis and South Korean Minister of Defence Song Young-moo visit the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea during a visit to the Joint Security Area in South Korea, Oct. 27, 2017.

Photo via DoD

Mattis Explains How The US Would Respond If North Korea Launched A Nuclear Missile Attack

Mattis replied: “Our ballistic missile defense forces at sea and in Alaska and California… the various radars would be feeding in and they would do what they’re designed to do as we make every effort to take them out.”

“The response, if that’s what you’re referring to, would, of course, depend on the president,” said Mattis, explaining the president would see a “wide array” of options that include co-operation with U.S. allies.

Photo via Associated Press

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, testify before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “The Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Administration Perspective” on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017.

“Defenses will go. The president will be woken up or whatever, but our commands are… we rehearse this routinely,” Mattis said, apparently not wanting to divulge any possibly sensitive information.

“Some judgment would be made over whether a necessary and proportionate response is required,” said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

But neither Tillerson or Mattis would categorically rule out a nuclear first strike on North Korea. Both made statements to the effect that if the U.S. knew a North Korean nuclear attack on the U.S. was imminent, that President Donald Trump reserves the right to pre-empt that attack with a launch of his own.

“The fact is that no president, Republican or Democrat, has ever forsworn the first strike capability. That has served us for 70 years,” said Tillerson.